Darkness Divide
by fatparks
Summary: Commander Cade's life was a simple one. Go in, take out the Seps, report back to HQ. Repeat. But all of that changes after Cade and his Special Forces Squad defy Order 66. Now, the wanted criminal and his squad try to take refuge across the Galaxy as they are hunted down one by one. With no one else to look to, Cade must find it in himself to carry on, but is he up to the task?
1. I'm Just a Clone

**This is my first FanFic, please keep that in mind while you read this! Thanks!**

**Reviews would be nice so that I can improve on anything you think I should improve on!**

**It may be slow at first, but I think this story has a lot of potential, it'll just take a while to get there.**

_I may be a Clone, but I'm not a mindless brute. I don't blindly follow orders. I don't do what I think is wrong, and apart of me knows that that's why they always looked down on me. Why they always told me I wasn't good enough. But who were they to judge? They always said we were brothers, but would brothers attempt to kill each other? Would brothers fire arms at each other over an Order? Brand each other traitors? Hunt each other down? No. We weren't brothers. We just used that as a shell. We always told ourselves we were the good guys- guess it just took three years for some of us to realize we were wrong._

_**But who was I?**_

_To start off, I was the leader of Havoc Squad- a special squad of troops taken from the 501__st__ and reorganized into Republic Special Forces. We weren't anything special, just another squad, nothing worthy of the Republic's history, or worthy of an article on the HoloNet. I doubt any of us would ever forget those three years of nonstop bloodshed- watching as countless worlds were devoured by the Seperatist grip- but I guess that's what war does to you- it leaves you bruised and scarred._

_Some would say I was fighting for the wrong side, for the failing government. To this day I still don't believe it, but it turns out I was fighting for the so called "failing government's" final days- and no matter what I did it would still be in vein._

_Do I regret what I did that day? The day of Order 66? Hell no, I did what I thought was right, and unlike my "brothers", I can say that I wasn't just some droid with skin. They always said that a Clone wasn't a droid because it had feelings, but if that were the case wouldn't they have felt any emotion whatsoever when slaughtering their allies, their friends, the people that have fought for/with, and protected for years?!_

_So unlike my "brothers," I will fight against this New Order until my last breath. Because it was what I thought was right, and that's all that mattered, and the moment I came face to face with this so called Emperor Palpatine I would gut him like a fish or die trying._

_But, what of Havoc Squad? What about Yelp, Blu, Stitch, and all of the others? Was it selfish for me to drag them into this? I know some of them would have killed the Jedi on the spot if it wasn't for me, but they still followed my orders, and every time I hit the pillow at night, I blame the dead ones' deaths on myself- for no one else was to blame._

_So yeah, it doesn't matter that we're clones, it doesn't matter that we're supposedly expendable, because we'll sure as hell make Palpatine regret the day we were ever created, because Havoc Squad will hit 'em where it hurts, and we'll make it sting for sure._

_My name is Commander Cade, Leader of Havoc Squad, and I will fight to bring back the Old Republic until the day I die._


	2. Resistance on Valora

System: The Valorian System

Planet: Valora

Time Before Order 66: 2 days

19 BBY (Before Battle of Yavin)

**War in the Outer Rim! As the Republic begins to make its final assault on the remainder of Seperatist worlds, Commander Cade and Havoc Squad are sent to Valora to aid the small remainders left of the 419****th**** Legion, led by female Cerean Jedi Master Rondi Nuun as they attempt to take control of the Seperatist aligned planet.**

Cade sat in the mess hall, eating his breakfast alongside Stitch and Blu. Stitch and Blu were both members of Havoc Squad, Stitch being the medic while Blue was one of the infantry units, not specializing in anything, just exceptional at busting up clankers and given' 'em hell on the battlefield. It was always enough, and they got the job done, so what was there to complain about?

"No, I'm serious, Yelp was going on and on about how he kissed the Senator of Gendivar!" Stitch began to laugh as the words came out of his mouth, as if he didn't believe it himself.

It wasn't something a Clone should be talking about, especially when their main purpose was war, but Havoc Squad was a close bunch, and they trusted each other to the point of no description, so obviously no one would be willing to rat another member of Havoc out just for talking dirty like this- but they would only do it around each other, because they couldn't speak for the clones outside of Havoc Squad.

"I don't buy it for a second," Blu shot back at Stitch with a wave of his hands, clearly unconvinced.

"Well, it's what he told me, whether it's true or not, I don't know, you'll have to take it up with him."

Heavy footsteps could be heard as someone neared them.

"Heh, didn't take you for a gossip Stitch, especially after knowing you since the big ol' exam day on Kamino," Slip, another member of Havoc said as he walked up to the three sitting at the table, his tray of breakfast in his hands.

"Hey Slip," Blu said, chuckling at the clone's remark to Stitch as he took a bite of his food.

"Oh, hey Blu," Slip replied as he sat down next to Cade, the disgusting rations of Clone food already in his mouth. Clone food was the nickname Havoc had given the grub they've been served throughout their whole lives. Cade had always dreamed about eating _real_ food, but it's never been an option for someone in the military. You would think they would at least get the leisure of eating an avid meal after saving countless lives throughout their career.

"Okay, to be fair I am just repeating exactly what Yelp said, so that doesn't make me a gossip!" Stitch shot to his own defense as he waved his hand in the air as if that would make his argument any more valid.

"Yea, yea, yea, whatever," Slip said before turning to Cade, swallowing a large mouthful of food before talking. "Hey Cade, what's up? You seem a little quiet today..."

"Huh?" Cade said. He was slightly dazed. Obviously he was deep in thought just moments before, not really listening to the conversation at hand. "Oh, hey. Sorry, just thinking..."

"Yea? What about?" Slip replied almost immediately.

"Just thinking about what happens to us after the war," Cade replied. "After all, the war is just about over. Grievous and Dooku are dead, and the Separatist Council is hiding on some remote planet in the Outer Rim, with only a handful of fortified planets under their control... So what happens to us once we find the Council and liberate the planets still held by the Seppies?" Cade had an honest point. What happened to them? It was as if right after he said it that the table went eerily quiet, going from a light-hearted subject to a more serious one instantly.

"Well, we help the Jedi enforce the peace, I guess. I dunno," Stitch said a moment later in an attempt to break the silence at the table, but right after he said it the intensity had engulfed the table once more.

"Well, I'm full," Cade said, his tray still half full of food as he walked off, leaving the awkwardly stated table behind him. Cade wasn't normally like this, so once he left, the other three were kind of dazed and confused.

The truth of it all was that Cade just didn't want to think about what would happen after the war right now. He was made for war, would he just be exposed of once it was done, or was Stitch right? Would they just help enforce the peace, their work never really ending?

_Whatever, you'll find out soon, no need to waste your time worrying on it now,_ Cade thought to himself as he walked down the hallway. He wasn't sure where he was going, he just wanted to get out of the environment he was in. Sometimes being exposed to so many others identical to him was overwhelming- and he needed a break just to reflect that he wasn't like them all of the time, just combat-wise.

Something so many people forget (other than the clones themselves, because their the victims,) is that each clone has their own personality, they were really only physically the same.

Cade decided he just wanted to find his nice and comfy dorm to take a long nap in, since he didn't have a schedule to abide to today. That was a first, though it was overdue. The stress of war had shown on Cade's face, so the Jedi had just offered to give him the day off. How could Cade refuse?

So Cade turned around and headed back to his room and crash there until someone needed him, or until he started to feel like the walls were closing in and he needed some fresh air...

Once he got there, Cade locked the room to his door. If they needed him they could always knock.

The clone plopped down on his bed and picked up his datapad. He began to scroll through the HoloNet just to see what was new in the Galaxy. One Article he found particularly interesting was that about the Chancellor.

**Chancellor Palpatine refuses to give back the Emergency Powers to the Senate, stating that "The war is not yet over!"**

_How odd..._ Cade thought to himself, remembering how he promised to give it back months ago. He found it suspicious, but it was still Cade's responsibility to serve the Republic and Chancellor whether he agrees with the actions or not. But there was just something off about the Chancellor, something that made Cade question his actions. His general personae just seemed... odd.

Was it even a Republic if the Chancellor had ten times the amount of power a Chancellor should have? Even just the thought of thinking about this weighed heavily on Cade's mind, and he decided to get some well needed sleep, something he couldn't get last night simply because he was overwhelmed with the thought of his future.

With that, Cade's head hit the pillow, his eyelids closing and his mind going to a halt, as he transitioned into a deep sleep.

*** A few hours later ***

"Commander, we need you at the Command center," Cade looked up from his bed, his eyes still groggy as he attempts to make out the knocking on his door and the feminine voice coming from the hallway. Who was talking to him?

"Of course, I'll be there right away," he said to the figure as he immediately rose from his bed. It was a response he had grown accustomed to saying, without even having to think twice about it. If they needed him at Command, it must have been important.

With that, the Commander put on his armor over his undergarments, and swiftly made his way to command, not stopping for anything along the way- even though his stomach was howling since he had such a small breakfast earlier today, selfishly leaving his tray at the mess hall for his squad to clean up without even realizing it. Oops.

Within moments, Cade had reached command, walking through the doorway, the room dark, with tension lingering in the air.

Something seemed odd- Master Rondi, Commander Hexigo (2iC of the 419th after Rondi,) and Master Rondi's Padawan whom he had never met before, only heard of.

"What is it?" Cade asked, his voice reflecting his confusion to the situation.

"We've detected thousands of droid signals heading our way- most likely the Seperatists trying to carve through our defenses. They've managed to breach our radars until now, and we are completely defenseless. They're estimated to be here in a matter of minutes."

"What, how did they slip through?" Cade questioned.

"We aren't exactly sure, most likely they sent in scouts prior to jam our signals," Hexigo stated in a monotone voice.

"We need to prepare, if they-" Cade began.

"We're trying, Commander," Maste Rondi cut Cade off. "Unfortunately, they outnumber us 100:1. We're trying to contact reinforcements from the Republic fleet stationed in orbit- but they're busy with their own problems right now. They've recently received much resistance from the Separatists. Looks like they're trying in a final effort to drive us off this planet, and I fear they may accomplish their motive."

"Then what's our counter-plan?"

"To hold out as long as we can until the fleet can muster up enough reinforcements to send us to make a notable difference."

_Well that's just really reassuring..._ Cade thought to himself.

*** Moments Later ***

"Commander, it's lookin' grim out there! We've got clankers surrounding the perimeter!" Cade listened to Yelp, the man Stitch was talking about at breakfast earlier that day as he stated the urgency of retreating just as Cade's blaster penetrated the Dura steel of a B1 battle droid. While the Seperatists were on the verge of defeat all across the galaxy, it didn't mean they couldn't give the Republic a run for its credits in their waning hours.

Nevertheless, Yelp was known for his overly dramatic point of view during the battles they had always participated in, hence the name. But this time he seemed to be pretty accurate on the information, not dramatic at all.

The remainders of the Republic Forces had been backed up into a circular perimeter about a hundred yards away from the base that was now engulfed in flames- surrounded by battalions of battle droids- their future looked grim. Unfortunately, the Republic Fleet was unable to bring in enough reinforcements and supplies to make any sort of difference to the troops defending the base. They needed to evacuate as soon as possible.

"Call in the LAATs! We need to leave! Now!" Cade yelled over the various blaster fire- in an attempt to prepare everyone for departure.

"Already done sir, they are on their way!" But it wasn't good enough. From Cade's estimation there were about 40 troops left, Havoc Squad and the two Jedi included. That was a tenth of the forces they had at this base just an hour before.

As the troops fought on, trying to maintain themselves until the Gunships arrived, the Seperatists continued to push up on them. Cade continued to blast down battle droid after battle droid- but it wasn't even making a dent in their forces, nevertheless aiding in the defense of the remaining clones.

"Where the hell are those Gunships?" Cade yelled angrily over the commotion of the battle once more, trying to keep his cool, but he couldn't. People were dying, and those gunships needed to get here. Like, now.

As if on cue, the Gunships appeared in the sky before anyone could respond to Cade's anxious comment. There appeared to be 5 of them in formation- it would be a tight fit, but they would all make it out okay.

"Hold formation until they land!" Cade heard the Jedi Master pipe up as they Gunships began to land from the sky.

"Blast, see if you can toss up an EMP to neutralize the droids as we take off!" Cade shouted to Blast, Havoc Squad's demolition expert.

"On it, sir!" He replied, taking out a handful of EMPs and proceeding to throw them out into the war torn desert. And with perfect timing, the EMPs began to go off in unison, disrupting the droids and causing them to fall to the floor with a few simultaneous clanks, giving the gunships the perfect opportunity to land.

"Get on board, now!" Jedi Master Rondi ordered to the clones as they all began to board the various vessels. Within seconds everyone had boarded, and the gunships began to take off one by one- carrying the remaining troops into the sky towards the nearest Republic outpost which was about one hundred clicks west.

"I want a headcount when we get back," Cade heard Rondi command over the comlink in one of the other gunships as they flew off into the dark skies of Varloria.

Cade simply observed the burning Republic base they had just abandoned as it illuminated the desert planet's night sky- and a part of him reflected upon all of those other Clone's lives that had ended right then and now- who could've lived peaceful lives after the war was over. But maybe those that are still alive after the war _will _have peaceful lives ahead of them... At least that's what Command always told us. And Cade really hoped it was true.

**Please, please, please, please PLEASE leave a review so I know what I can do to improve. I would love you so much. Make sure to follow and/or favorite if you like it! You can't let the deaths of those poor, innocent clone troopers be in vein. ;c**

**Updates coming soon, so until next time!**


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